After an incident involving Atlanta police officers using excessive force against two college students during a protest, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms created an advisory council to review and recommend policing protocol, specifically as it relates to use of force practices.
Two of the officers were fired immediately after the encounter with the college students. All 6 officers involved have been arrested with charges ranging from damaging property to aggravated assault.
"I'm thankful to further the conversation about use of force practices by members of law enforcement. It's time for new policies and an overhaul of the way cops do policing. As a university professor, media personality and writer, I have a responsibility to be an unbought and unbossed advocate for the community", said Richey.
The committee is comprised of well-known influencers and social justice advocates.
PRESS RELEASE FROM MAYOR'S OFFICE:
“The gravity of this Advisory Council’s actions and recommendations—and their potential to fundamentally transform the relationship between law enforcement officials and those they serve—cannot be understated,” said Mayor Bottoms. “Thank you to every member for their partnership and commitment to bettering the Atlanta community. With peoples’ very lives at stake, I look forward to their recommendations and assistance in implementing needed reforms to the City’s Use of Force policies.”
Mayor Bottoms issued an Administrative Order to convene an Advisory Council comprised of community members and partners to examine the City’s use of force policies and procedures. The Advisory Council will make recommendations for operational or legislative changes to the City’s existing use of force policies.
The Use of Force Advisory Council will be co-chaired Tiffany Roberts, Community Engagement & Movement Building Counsel for the Southern Center for Human Rights; Jonathan Rapping, President and Founder of Gideon’s Promise; and Tharon Johnson, Founder and CEO of Paramount Consulting.
Additional members of the Advisory Council are as follows:
Rafiq Ahmad, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (Georgia Chapter)
Rev. Kenney Alexander, Pastor, Antioch Baptist Church North
Shar Bates, Radio / TV personality, My Vote is Hip Hop
Maya Beatty, Youth and resident
Nelson Boyce, Industry Director, Travel, Google
J. Cannon Carr, Chief Investment Officer, and Portfolio Manager CornerCap Institutional
Mawuli Davis, Founding Partner, Davis Bozeman Law Firm
Johnathan Davis, Executive Director, Covenant Community
Marissa Dodson, Southern Center for Human Rights
Miguel Dominguez, Criminal Justice Progressive Agenda Working Group / Morgan and Morgan
Juaun Durbin, Youth Organizer and Morehouse College Alumnus
Michelle Falconer, Owner, Bailey and Hunter, LLC
Maya Hadley, Youth and resident
Jestin Johnson, City of Atlanta Deputy COO
Alvin Kendall, Founder, Kendall Law Group
Yonasda Lonewolf, Hip Hop 4 Foundation
Bryant Marks, Professor of Psychology, Morehouse College
Toni Michelle, Director, Solutions Not Punishment Collaboration (SnapCo)
Suzie Ockleberry, Assistant Vice President, Attorney, AT&T
Rashad Richey, Radio personality
The Honorable Joyce Sheperd, Atlanta City Council
Brian Spears, Attorney, G. Brian Spears, P.C.
Lovette Karbo Thompson, Black Alliance
Sean Williams, Cochran Firm
Joycelyn Wilson, Assistant Professor of Hip Hop Studies and Digital Humanities, Georgia Tech
The Advisory Council will review city’s use of force policies and make recommendations for any changes or additions. The Council will make initial recommendations to Mayor Bottoms within 14 days, followed by a more comprehensive report no later than 45 days.
More than 1,000 people are killed by police every year in America, and black people are three times more likely to be killed than their white counterparts.
The Administrative Order is the latest move by the Bottoms Administrative to enact meaningful criminal justice reform in the city of Atlanta.
In her first month in office, Mayor Bottoms eliminated cash bond in Atlanta, ensuring that no one languishes in jail because of an inability to pay. Last year, Mayor Bottoms signed legislation authorizing the closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) and has reduced the City’s Department of Corrections budget by nearly 60 percent.
Mayor Bottoms also worked with the City’s Department of Corrections and Department of Watershed Management to establish the City’s Preparing Adult Offenders through Treatment and Therapy (PAT3) program to assist prison inmates with finding jobs.